The United States wants to maintain stable and peaceful relations with China, but intends to act from a position of strength, Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
“Under President Donald Trump, relations between the United States and China are at their best in many years. Trump and his administration want stable peace, fair trade and respectful relations with China“, he said, speaking at the international security forum “The Shangri-La Dialogue“ in Singapore.
Hegseth noted that at their recent meeting in Beijing, the US president and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on the need to build a “constructive relationship characterized by strategic stability, fairness and reciprocity“.
“At the same time, the Pentagon's task is to ensure that the president always negotiates from an undisputed position of strength“, the US Secretary of State emphasized.
Washington no longer intends to bear the defense costs of rich countries, Hegseth said. .
“The era in which the United States subsidized the defense of rich countries is over. We need partners, not protectorates. We need alliances based on shared responsibility, not dependency,” he said.
“This concept provides a solid foundation for our alliances, ensuring that they are prepared for the challenges of this century, not the last,“, stressed Hegseth.